


And The Songbirds Are Singing (Like They Know The Score)

by NekoAliceYamiYaoi



Series: Thiam Half-Birthday (2018) [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: ASL, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Liam Dunbar & Mason Hewitt Friendship, Liam and Brett are roommates, M/M, Soft Theo Raeken, Them with a Twist, Theo Raeken & & Liam Dunbar & Brett Talbot Friendship, Theo Raeken & Brett Talbot Friendship, Theo and Malia are twins, Theo doesn't know any ASL but he starts learning, Thiam Half Birthday, because even thought he is deaf he doesn't take anyone's shit, becuase he likes Liam and wants to be able to communicate with him, but it's only mentioned, deaf Liam, kind of badass Liam, protective Mason Hewitt, soft liam dunbar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 20:18:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14961483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoAliceYamiYaoi/pseuds/NekoAliceYamiYaoi
Summary: And here he stops because Blue Eyes is just staring at him, more specifically, at his mouth. Wait, as Theo was rambling this guy's just been standing there, looking cute with his eyebrows a little furrowed and his beautiful blue eyes, and staring at Theo's mouth, which in some level is... flattering. But really kind of weird.Blue Eyes doesn't respond, still staring, head cocked a bit to the side in a cute way, like he's waiting. And he's looking at Theo's mouth again.Realization hits Theo suddenly, like a lightning strike in his skull. "Oh my god, you can't hear."





	And The Songbirds Are Singing (Like They Know The Score)

**Author's Note:**

> Super late but here it is!!! My contribution to the Thiam Half Birthday week!! I hope it doesn't suck!! *crossing fingers*  
> Also, I don't know any sign language (although I really want to learn) nor I know disabled people, so I'm sorry if I offend anyone! I'm not doing this for that purpose, I swear!!
> 
> *sorry about the title, I had no idea how to call it!!

Theo doesn't usually rides his skateboard on the street. He got his skateboard when he was 15 because he had seen some guys using them at the park near his house and he had thought it looked _"cool",_ so he wanted to give it a try. His twin Malia had looked at him with an eyebrow up, almost a challenge, and questioned his abilities saying that he wouldn't be able to learn how to use it in less than a month. He did it in a couple of weeks and he won not only their little challenge but the satisfaction of rubbing it in Malia's face. He still loves his sister, though. And she actually looked proud as she watched him do the basics tricks without tripping.

Whenever he had the time, he would go to the park and skate a little, but on the street? That was kind of a 'no-no'. But right now he felt as if he could do anything, so he decided to give it a go and ride over the sidewalk, watching people pass by and watching him as he skates away, probably thinking that he was some douchebag or something, not that he cares.

Sure, his best friend Tracy is always saying things like _'You're gonna end up crashing against someone'_ but he doesn't let her words affect him and he still takes his skateboard to the street.

Screw Tracy and her ability to curse Theo's life.

Because just as he's coasting along the sidewalk on that stupid board, heading to Josh's apartment so they can study for their Biology test, that's exactly the same moment when somebody steps out of a little shop ahead of him. Although there's a bit of space between them, life is always a bitch and the sidewalk in front of Theo declines suddenly, just enough to make him speed up against his will.

"Hey! Watch out!" he yells, trying to veer around the person and avoid the collision but the guy doesn't even turn around, and Theo notices the bags of groceries on his hands. Even though Theo jumps off his skateboard at the last moment to avoid completely slamming into him, he still runs straight into the guy and makes him drop all of his stuff.

"Fuck." Theo says as he takes a step back in time to hear his poor unfortunate victim mutter "What the hell," as he holds onto Theo's muscular arms.

"I am so sorry." Theo starts to apologize immediately -because his mom taught him right-, taking a step back and allowing the guy to let go of him. "It was an—" he cuts himself off when the guy turns to look at him, a few inches shorter than him, soft brown almost blond hair and impossibly blue eyes and he's cute.

_Fuck_ , he's cute.

"Uh." wow, nice one, Theo.

Without saying anything, Blue Eyes turns away from him to look at his scattered goods on the ground. Most of the contains are still inside their bags. Luckily he wasn't carrying eggs or they would've been an omelet on the sidewalk but a number of peaches have rolled out of one of the bags and are visibly bruised.

"Shit, I bruised your peaches." Theo says.

Suddenly a very not-decent thought crosses his mind in Josh's voice and Theo coughs to hide the sudden heat going to his cheeks. _Damn it, Josh!_

Theo scrambles to pick up all the bags before his bad luck continues and they magically roll into the street. "I'm sorry." he says again and he's sure that the guy must be tired of hearing him repeat it by now but he doesn't care. He tucks the peaches back into the bag and picks it up to hand it back. "I really didn't mean to, the fucking ground- there was a bit of a hill and I'm pretty sure my best friend cursed me so this would happen today and to be completely fair, I did give you a warning but you didn't turn around in time. Anyway, if you want me to I can pay for the peaches. Well, not right now because I'm poor as fuck but my friend Brett owes me money so he just has to sacrifice for the cause and I'll pay you eventually—"

And here he stops because Blue Eyes is just staring at him, more specifically, at his mouth. Wait, as Theo was rambling this guy's just been standing there, looking cute with his eyebrows a little furrowed and his beautiful blue eyes, and staring at Theo's mouth, which in some level is... flattering. But really kind of weird.

Sure, Theo knows he's attractive and all, but is this guy that direct? Does he want to kiss him or something? Did Theo collided a little too hard and his brain got shaken?

The kiss theory would have made sense except that as soon as Theo stopped talking, the guy's gaze flicks up from Theo's mouth to his eyes and he just stares.

"Um," Theo frowns a little, "Are you okay?"

Blue Eyed guy nods.

Is he, really? Because here he is, making Theo a little uncomfortable because he hasn't said anything yet since Theo crashed into him and that should worry Theo. Maybe he hit his head or something? Or maybe he's just waiting for Theo to pay for his peaches and get the hell away from him.

At Blue Eyes' continued silent and generally weird behavior, Theo quickly takes out his wallet, "Look, I can only pay you this for the moment, as I told you, I'm poor as fuck, but if you would like it you can give me your phone number so I can give you the rest later?" he pulls out his last dollar bills and looks up again.

Blue Eyes doesn't respond, still staring, head cocked a bit to the side in a cute way, like he's waiting. And he's looking at Theo's mouth again.

Realization hits Theo suddenly, like a lightning strike in his skull. "Oh my god, you can't hear."

Finally, Blue Eyes smiles at him that Theo sure hopes it means _'You got it even though it took you a while'_

"I am so sorry." Wow, this is a new record for Theo. Has anyone been counting how many times he's said 'sorry'?

Blue Eyes laughs, a melodic voice that makes Theo want to laugh too despite it being too weird. When his lips move, though, no sound comes out.

_'You talk too fast.'_ he mouths, pointing at Theo. _'And I couldn't follow.'_

Theo now definitely feels embarrassed, as if colliding in his skateboard with this cutie wasn't enough. "Sorry," he says, tipping his head down. Then, quickly, he realizes that the guy can't read his lips if he's staring at the ground, so he lifts his chin and says "I mean: sorry."

Blue Eyes laughs again, shaking his head.

Theo remembers what he was doing and clearing his throat, he holds out the bills again and says "Here. For the peaches." he points at the bag with an apologetic smile.

Blue Eyes nods gratefully, a faint blush over his cheeks as he takes the money from Theo's fingers. He slides it into his hoodie pocket and smiles at Theo. Ow, damn, why does he have to be so pretty?

Theo swallows, "So, um," Please, don't say 'sorry' again, or I'm gonna jump into the traffic. "I'm—"

But before he can even finish, the other boy jerks away suddenly, staring over Theo's shoulder -and Theo has to admit it's cute watching Blue Eyes standing on his toes to be able to look over Theo's shoulder- and his mouth open in a "O". Theo turns to see the bus coming around the corner and when he turns back, Blue Eyes is already running for the bus stop down the street, waving at him as he runs.

"Wait!"

But of course, Blue Eyes can't hear him -or see him- and a moment later, he's getting on the bus and most probably disappearing from Theo's life. "Ow, fuck." Theo mutters defeated, and walks towards where his skateboard landed, surprised that no one picked it up and took it. Not that anyone would want an ugly skateboard like his, but still.

Before turning around and leaving to Josh's apartment, Theo watches the bus drive away and sighs,

"I didn't even get your name."

 

* * *

 

And that was all Theo expected to see of Blue Eyes -because yes, that's how Theo is calling him in his mind. Well, not exactly. He won't deny that he wouldn't mind seeing him again and that he keeps an eye out for the guy from now and then, especially around the grocery area, and if Malia thinks it's weird that he volunteers for grocery shopping she doesn't say anything. Not when she doesn't have to be the one to get out of the house.

But still, Theo is sure Blue Eyes is out of his life, and he goes on living anyway because apparently, he still has to make it through his final year of college. That in itself is a struggle, so he decides to pour most of his energy into that, writing papers and pounding out assignments and making it to class when he can.

On one of those assignments, he has to give a fifteen-minute presentation with a partner, as well as hand in a 3-to-4 page paper. Good thing it was Brett he was partnered with. Sure, he would've like it better if it were Tracy or Josh, but Brett is alright. The research is done, the paper is mostly written but the powerpoint still has to be put together and while they had been doing all the work separately, Brett finally asks him if he wants to go back to his apartment to get the thing done.

They take the bus from campus to Brett's apartment, and Brett keeps him busy chatting with him during the five-minute bus ride to his block, and then they get out and head into a small apartment complex, taking the stairs up one flight to a door marked 202.

Brett unlocks the door and swings the door in, then he moves to flick on the lights.

"Come in, dude, make yourself comfortable." Brett says as they enter the apartment, "My roommate's probably home but he shouldn't be—"

_"Breeeeeeett~"_ comes a voice floating through an open door. Theo turns at the sudden interruption, and sees a familiar face walk out. He freezes and stares, and Blue Eyes, in all of his adorable frowny face glory, stares right back, obviously just as startled as Theo is. Oh, and he's wearing just a big hoodie that reaches above his knees. _Fuck._

Brett smiles, lifting his hands to sign as he speaks, "Liam," he says, and Blue Eyes looks at him. "This is Theo, my project partner." he spells out Theo's name with his hands -or at least that what it looks like he's doing because Theo has no idea. "Theo, this is my roommate, Liam. He's deaf, but he can read lips."

"I know." Theo says, starting to smile a little as if all his dreams were coming true.

"What?"

"I made him drop all his groceries the other day."

Liam smiles, leaning against the doorframe as the tall blond bursts out laughing.

"That was you? Liam told me about that. He called you _skateboard bastard_." he makes a few signs with his hands, as if imitating exactly how Liam described him.

"Oh, really?" Theo says, a smirk appearing over his face.

Liam starts making a few signs and mouths _"Fancy seeing you here."_ Theo has to admit that it's a bit hard to make it out, but between the movement of his lips and the gestures, he gets the gist of it.

"We need to work on our project," Brett says as he signs towards his roommate. "Do you want pizza later?"

Liam nods enthusiastically, his blue eyes expressive, then goes back towards his room and signs some more.

Brett nods and then turns to Theo, "He says he'll be in his room."

Theo nods, watching as Liam disappears into his room before moving to the living room.

They get down to work, looking up relevant pictures and short YouTube clips, but to be honest Theo's mind keeps drifting and he knows he's not gonna be able to continue working on their project if he doesn't ask right now.

"So, I've known you for almost a year and this is the first time you've mentioned Liam. How long have you and Liam been living together?" he asks, trying to act nonchalant.

Brett seems kind taken aback from his question, giving him a surprised look but then turns back to the screen. "Three years." he answers, "As soon as I started college, we moved in together. We've known each other for years though."

"That's how you know sign language?"

Brett nods, "Yeah. We took a crash course on ASL together a couple months after I met him, and he's been learning and teaching me more ever since."

Theo knows this is the moment where he bites his tongue and shuts up like always but he can't help it. He wants to ask about Liam's voice, because he's heard him talk a few times.

And Brett, apparently having sensed his distress, takes pity on his poor soul and answers his unasked question.

"He's Post-lingual deaf," he says. "Lost his hearing when he was 13. He can still talk, but he mostly chooses not to. Not hearing anything for nine years has made his pronunciation a little weird, and I think he's self-conscious about it."

"So he's completely deaf?" Theo asks, pretending to browse through pictures on Google Images but not really seeing them. "He can't hear anything?"

"Nothing." Brett affirms. "Head trauma from a car accident."

"But he talks to you?"

"Well, we had to communicate somehow when we first met." he says. "And he doesn't give a shit if I think he sounds weird. But still, he only talks to me when he needs to get my attention, or we're in different rooms, or his hands are full."

Theo nods and is finally able to shut up even though he has more questions about how hard it was to learn ASL, and who else knows about Liam, what is his major in college and every single detail of Liam's life but he's heading down the creepy path, so maybe he should take it down a notch.

A couple hours later, their powerpoint presentation is finished, and the pizza has arrived. Soon, Theo joins Brett and Liam in the kitchen.

Over dinner, the pair of roommates sign back and forth, their hands and faces equally expressive, but Theo catches Liam throwing him glances in between.

Theo is eating his pizza in silence until Brett says "Liam's asking about you."

"Huh? What'd he ask?"

"What is your major in college?"

"Biology."

"Yeah? Tell me, are you an athlete?" Brett asks. Liam signs something and Brett turns back at him, "I just asked him that, Dunbar."

"Just running. I used to do lacrosse at highschool."

Brett grins. "Hey, we used to do lacrosse in highschool too! I also run but mostly at the mornings."

"Really?" Theo looks at Liam.

Liam's face blows into a smile for a moment but then he makes a face and shakes his head.

"He messed up his arms in the car crash and can't play for too long. Just a couple of hours before it starts hurting." Brett explains, taking another slice of pizza. "It still bothers him a little."

Theo nods in understanding, then clears his throat, "Are you still in school?"

Liam shakes his head and mouths _"I work. Web design."_ and he mimes typing on a keyboard.

"He works freelance." Brett adds, "And takes up extra shifts at a little bakery shop."

Theo picks at the crust of his pizza slice and the rest of the time they spend it by idle chat.

By the time they're over, Theo realizes that he's gonna have to leave eventually and for some reason he doesn't want to. Luckily, Brett is his salvation.

"You guys want to play video games?" Brett asks.

Liam signs something back.

Brett nods at him and then turns to Theo, "So? You wanna join? We're gonna play Smash Bros"

"Really?"

"Sure. It's gonna be a good change playing with another person other than Liam. He always picks Samus."

Liam signs something and Brett laughs.

"Yes, I am complaining about your character choices." as Liam frowns as he continues making signs, Brett sighs, "I know, I know. She's a total badass and she rocks."

"Okay, I'll play." Theo says.

They end up sitting squeezed onto Brett and Liam's loveseat in the living room, a controller in each of their hands, playing for several hours.  Theo enjoys the moments where Brett masters the game and grins at them as he's the freaking master of the whole universe, and ends up winning almost every round. Also when he manages to get the upper hand and Brett looks like a dog with his tail between his legs when he loses. But what he enjoys the most is that he gets treated to more of Liam's voice, though mostly vocalized through alarmed _"Ah! Ahhhh!"_ sounds and high, desperate whines and angry shouts. He lets out one loud _"For fucks sake!"_ when his character gets blasted off the screen.

Theo turns to look at Brett, eyebrows raised. Brett laughs without turning from the screen. "I don't think he realizes he's doing it." he says. "Even after so many years, it's kind of a knee-jerk reaction to swear out loud."

Theo sits back since his character's dead. There's a loud slap, and Theo turns to see Liam glaring at the tall blond, who laughs.

"He says not to talk about him like he isn't here." Brett translates before throwing an arm around Liam's shoulder, "Liam, babe, I only ever say wonderful things about you." he teases.

Liam gives him a look that says that he doesn't buy his act and after shaking off the tall blond's arm, he gets up and signs something before disappearing into the kitchen.

"He's getting more chips." Brett says.

Theo only nods as he stares at the direction Liam went and doesn't notice Brett grinning at his direction.

By the time it's Theo's moment to leave, he calls his goodbyes as he grabs his things on his way to the door, thanking them for letting him hang out and that, before looking right at Liam and smiling he says "Bye."

_"Bye."_ Liam mouths, waving back with his lips going up in a smile.

Brett gives Theo a knowing look as he steps out the door and Theo decides to ignore it. Jesus, Brett, okay! He has a small crush, so what?

 

* * *

 

Theo doesn't see Liam for a couple of weeks after that. He and Brett see each other regularly, in class and sometimes hanging out, but they never go back to Brett's apartment and thus, Theo doesn't get to see Liam. Which absolutely sucks.

And although Theo tries not to think about the blue eyed beauty, he sort of ends up walking by the bakery shop he knows of, only to see if maybe Liam works in there. It's a long shot since they didn't told him in which bakery shop he worked. Not that Liam needed t share that information the first time they've met. Well, the second one. The first time Theo gracefully collided into him, so maybe yeah, sharing that kind of information wasn't vital. And now Theo peers inside the shop every single time he passes by, like a total creep, on his way to and from campus.

He doesn't see Blue Eyes until mid-November, when he's making his way to his apartment and shoots a cursory glance through the shop's big glass window and sees a familiar face behind the counter.

Theo would be lying if he said his heart didn't skipped a beat. Running his hands through his hair, he adjusts his backpack on his shoulders and steps through the door and into the shop.

Liam looks up from the book he's reading behind the counter and when he notices Theo, his eyebrows shot up to his forehead but he waves neitherless.

Theo waves back as he approaches him, "Hi. I, um, I was just passing by, and I saw you in here..."

_"You were just... passing by?"_ Liam mouths, a small smirk pulling at his mouth. Shit, does he know?

"My apartment's down that way." he gestures out of the window and down the street.

Liam lets it go and nods, apparently believing it. Or maybe he didn't wanted to embarrass Theo. Eitherway he's grateful for that. Theo looks down at his nametag that says: _'Hello, I'm DEAF.'_

"Cute." Theo says with a smirk. He likes that Liam can, apparently, be a little shit. "So, watcha reading?"

Liam smiles and holds up his book. A Tale of Two Cities.

"Oh, hey, I read that book in high school." Theo tries to remember a single detail about it and miserably fails. "It was... good."

Liam raises an eyebrow at him but smiles.

Theo sighs, "Okay, give me some credit. I recognized the title."

Liam smiles again but this time he looks down, almost as if he were trying to hide his smile. _'Please don't do it; you have a beautiful smile... like the rest of you.'_ Theo's eyes widen. Oh, thank God he didn't say that out loud and that even if he did, he can't hear Theo.

After another minute of complete silence, Theo realizes that Liam was looking back at him expectantly as if waiting for Theo to say something. Maybe why he really came here to start with.

"So..." he says slowly. "I wanted to try the mint chocolate chip cake since a friend of mine says it's delicious but she also thinks that pineapple pizza is great, so I really don't know if I can trust her taste."

Liam picks up a pen to scribble something down on the pad of paper in front of him. _"I wouldn't trust her because of the pizza but about the cake she's right."_ it reads.

"Okay, then, a slice of mint chocolate chip cake, please."

Liam nods and as he moves to grab the slice and pack it up, Theo can't help but to watch him. Seriously, it's like watching a painter working on one of his masterpieces, and Liam? Liam is the real piece of art. Malia always says that sometimes he's not really good under pressure, and perhaps she's right.

Fumbling for his phone inside his pocket, Theo smoothly blurts out "And while you're at it, can I get your number?"

That fucking smile that Liam shows to him is going to be burned into Theo's brain until he's exhaled his last breath. It's going to haunt him in his sleep -he hopes.

_"Sure."_ Liam mouths again calmly, although he almost drops the cake. At least Theo wasn't the only one not smooth at all.

"Sorry. Tracy says I need to make more guy friends. Apparently she's not enough." he chuckles at his own joke. Every time she mocks him because he doesn't really have too much guy friends, Theo tells her 'what, you aren't enough?' She kicks him in the shin but laughs as well. Good friends.

Liam finishes with the new contact on his phone and hands it back to him. Almost five seconds later his gaze moves back to Theo's face. _"Tracy?"_

Theo grabs the pen from his hand and scribbles "My friend."

Liam takes the pen back and scrawls _"Friend?"_

Wow, if that isn't brave. Theo, unsure if the repetition is just for the sake of clarification or for something else, something deeper, just nods. "Yeah, friend."

Liam hands over the bag that contains the slice of cake to Theo, a soft smile over his face.

Theo takes it and after nodding, he decides that maybe it's time for him to go. Not that he wants to.

"I'll let you get back to your book. Or working. Or whatever."

Liam nods. _"See ya."_

"Yeah, see ya."

An hour later when Theo is over his apartment and trying not to hear Malia complain about how he doesn't have any meat over the fridge when she was the one who ate it yesterday, Theo gets a text from Brett.

**'So, a little puppy told me that you got my roommate's number today.'**

Theo chuckles. **'Maybe.'**

**'Raeken, you little shit.'** Almost a minute passes before Theo gets another text from Brett. **'u better take care of him, he is my precious puppy.'**

Theo feels his face burn. Did Brett just somehow give him his blessing to woo his roommate? Or was Theo hallucinating?

"Theo! Are you listening? You ran out of Canada Dry!" Theo hears Malia yelling from the kitchen, only to hear the sound of the can tab as it opens.

"I can hear all the way here as you open the can!"

There's silence before the girl yells back, "Well, at least someone drinks it! You never do!"

_'Because I know how much you like it, so I buy it for you.'_ but Theo would never admit it. At least not to his sister.

 

* * *

 

The next time Theo sees Liam it's because Brett invited him over to watch a movie. He had to cancel to Josh and Tracy, who just texted him saying 'Go get 'em, tiger!', whatever that means.

Since their last meeting at the bakery, Theo and Liam have been messaging each other back and forth. Theo still keeps the photo he got from Liam covering half of his face with his copy of _Wolf Hall_ , and the caption **'wished you had this Walter Scott Prize award book?'**

Theo remembered that book and he grinned as he searched for something over his bookshelf and minutes later he answered back with a photo of his own, holding his copy of the novel sequel, _Bring Up the Bodies_ , and smirking at the camera with the caption **'Too slow, puppy.'**

Liam texted him 'asshole' before asking if he could borrow it sometime.

He also keeps the photo Liam sent to him with Brett apparently having fallen asleep on the couch, head thrown back and mouth hanging wide open and a trail of saliva sliding down his chin with the caption '2 beautiful 4 tis world??' and then a message from Brett saying 'show it to anyone and you're a dead man, raeken.'

That conversation may have developed into a contest between them in attempting to get the most unflattering pictures of their mutual friend. Liam sent him one of Brett coming out of the bathroom in a pair of horrible jaguar printed boxers and Theo responded the following day with a snap of Brett asleep in their shared class, with the caption 'ur roommate is drooling on my textbook.'

**_Theo: control ur roommate, i thought he was going to kill me today after Econ_ **

**_Liam: naah, he's just a big fluffy dog_ **

**_Liam: although he just came home and made me delete all of his beautiful photos on my phone_ **

**_Liam: what a meanie i h8 him_ **

**_Liam: need a new roommate asap_ **

**_Liam: please say you'll apply for the job so i can kick his bean pole ass out of the apartment_ **

Theo chuckled at that before replying **_'sign me up, the rent's probably cheaper'_**

Brett hadn't been that mad as Theo thought he would be, because he still invited Theo over for the movie. Also because to redeem themselves Theo and Liam switched their contest to try and capture Brett at his finest, captioning their photos with things like "BAE" and "10/10". Brett was a dork and he accepted to be tagged on the photos.

"Hey, you made it!" Brett says when Theo shows up at their apartment for movie night.

"You bet your life, you big, tall string bean. Here," he hands over the bag of chips Brett had asked him to buy on his way there.

"Thank goodness, Liam's been nagging me about the chips and you."

"Really?"

They walk into the living room where Liam is already sitting on the couch. He waves, face lighting up with a smile when he spots Theo, then pats the seat next to him.

_"Sit."_ he mouths.

And who is Theo to deny such a nice request?

Theo flops into the seat, "So, what are we watching?"

They end up watching Ridley Scott's **Alien** with the lights off 'to create the perfect atmosphere for the movie' Brett says before sliding over the couch and sitting opposite to Theo. The movie has closed captioning, of course, and Theo smiles as he glances at Liam before the movie starts.

Almost halfway into the movie, Brett has the chips bowl over his lap, mouth hanging open and hand stopping mid-way towards it with a handful of chips on it as his eyes don't look away from the screen. Theo is keenly aware of every inch of him that's touching Liam on his right side, while Liam has his legs propped up and hugging a cushion to his chest, but Theo is pretty sure that it's not because he's scared; he looks excited.

'Maybe he really likes this movie. Good.' he thinks.

Theo really tries to be interested in the movie -it's Ridley Scott, for crying out loud- but being almost hip-to-hip with Liam is maybe too much for his body. Sure, the three of them are pressed together but somehow Brett sitting similarly close to him on his other side feels much more trivial.

He almost dozes off once or twice, but he sticks it through to the end as a good guest, and afterwards, when the lights are back on, Liam and Brett have a silent argument about something movie-related that Theo can't even dream of making sense of. He watches the exchange quietly and laughs to himself at their intense expressions, but gathers pretty much zero information.

"You guys need to teach me some sign language." he says at last, "Or else I am never going to know what you're talking about."

Brett's face lights up in a grin. "Seriously? You wanna learn? I can teach you the basics."

"Wha— Really?"

"Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you'll have to learn it eventually if you want to..." he trails off and glances at Liam, who sits up and narrows his eyes.

"What?" the blue eyed guy asks, but Brett ignores him in favor of looking at Theo.

'This asshole.' Theo thinks but he actually accepts the offer. Brett starts talking about setting up weekly lessons and that he 'better take this shit seriously' and Theo is happy that someone is willing to teach him.

He just hopes he doesn't blow this up.

 

* * *

 

Theo ends up spending more and more time at Liam and Brett's apartment after that. Brett sets up their weekly ASL lessons on Saturday mornings, after they go for a run together -which Theo really enjoys-, but he winds up inviting Theo over every other day just to hang out. Theo kind of wonders if Liam puts him up to it, but he never asks, for fear of being wrong. Malia says that is one of his flaws.

His ASL lessons themselves are a mixture of frustrating, embarrassing, and exciting. Brett is a good teacher, patient and understanding -who would've thought, right?-, but Theo picks the signs up slowly, often getting them wrong or forgetting them entirely. He has to ask Brett frequently throughout the week to re-teach him signs, and it ends up being ASL Lesson Time all the time.

Theo starts to catch on, and when he uses a few of his newly-learned signs with Liam, the other boy positively _beams_. So. That pretty much makes everything worth it.

 

* * *

 

Theo gets to meet Liam's best friend Mason and his boyfriend Corey and they are absolutely the best. He also learns that all of them can sign. The dark skinned guy smiles at Theo like a kid on Christmas morning and Theo thinks it's because they're meeting for the first time and they're both Liam's friends.

They were having a small party at the apartment and he was told to invite his friends, so he did, and so Tracy and Josh met the others. To be completely honest, Theo was kind of worried to mix both worlds but after seeing how Tracy hit it off with Mason and Corey, and Josh went immediately to Brett's side and they started laughing together, Theo thought that maybe it hadn't been so bad.

The party itself is... calm. There are drinks but not strong enough to get you drunk, and there's music. They stand around chatting or playing; it's fairly quiet, except for the music. He sees as Mason and Brett sign freely with Liam. The blue eyed guy's hands move so fluidly that it impresses Theo. He feels kind of jealous, but not too much because he's also learning and soon he'll be able to stand in the same level as them.

Theo was sitting outside over the fire escape when he heard someone tapping against the glass and he turned his head to see Liam holding a cup on his hand and a small smile over his face.

_"Hi,"_ Liam signs, _"Why are you hiding?"_ he asks as he too stands on the fire escape.

"I'm not hiding." he manages to sign, although the next part he speaks "I just needed some fresh air."

Liam puts his cup down and rubs his hands together because of the chilly air.

Theo just watches him, not knowing what to do. Should he say something? Ask if Liam's busy this Saturday? No, no. That would be making a move and he's not sure Liam is interested in him that way.

_"Your friends are having fun."_ Liam comments, and Theo glances behind them to watch as Tracy and Josh laugh at something that Brett said.

He spaces out for a while, getting lost in his stupid little insecurities again, until warm fingers touch his hand and bring him back in an instant. He slowly follows from the tip of the fingers to the beautiful eyes of the owner of the hand. Liam smiles at him, happy that he had his attention again.

_"What'cha thinking?"_

"Nothing, I... I was blinded for a moment by your beauty." he says with a small smirk, although he's not completely lying.

Liam laughs, cheeks rounding and getting a little red as he nudges Theo. _"Cute."_ he mouths, signing it with two fingers to his chin.

"There you are!"

The two of them are startled by the arrival of Corey; Theo because it has been to sudden and loud, and Liam because of the way Theo reacted and also by the hand over his shoulder. Corey smiles at them, apparently a little tipsy, and then proceeds to ask Liam something long and complicated with his hands, and Liam laughs and responds with an answer just as lengthy. The exchange goes on for a minute, and then a few other people laugh, and finally Liam turns back to Theo, still smiling.

"Someday I'll be able to have real conversations like that with you."

Liam stares at him, blue eyes shining; he mouths _"That's the nicest thing someone has said to me in all the week."_

Theo blinks rapidly, "You're welcome?"

Liam laughs, bringing a hand to his mouth in an attempt to cover his laughter but Theo wants to push it away because he thinks that those small sounds are the nicest thing he could ever hear. They make Theo warm all over.

 

* * *

 

Theo is not particularly excited for Christmas break. He is, of course, pretty pumped to not have anymore finals to study for, because it's called Hell Week for a reason, but the thought of going home and seeing no one but his family for several weeks after finally having made some new friends is not his idea of a good time. Sure, Malia always makes Christmas a little more special, like last year when she came down with fever and ended up cuddling on Theo's bed like a wounded puppy. Or like a wounded coyote because every time Theo moved on the bed she would growl under her breath and cling to the blanket tighter.

Or the year before that, when Malia and him drank a little bit more and she convinced him to reenact the Christmas dance from Mean Girls. Not even their parents knew and nobody must know about that; Malia and him are gonna take it to the grave!

But of course, his best friends Tracy and Josh will be around for Christmas so he's happy.

Tracy's family lives about an hour out of the city and Theo and his two friends all drive out together, like they always do, and since they've all been busy lately it's a nice chance to catch up on whatever they've missed.

 

_Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree for me_

_Been an awful good girl_

_Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight_

 

"So, Theo," Tracy starts, leaning over from the back seat as they drive and the radio plays some Christmas music. "Tell us more about your new boo."

"My new _what?_ " Theo almost chokes.

"The guy you've been all dreamy about for months." Josh answers but he doesn't take his eyes off the road. Tracy nods and points at him as if to make a point.

"I'm not—! He's just a friend."

"No, Josh is just a friend. He's the guy you're hopelessly in love. So, tell us more about him."

Theo knows that they're not going to let him jump out of the car, so he just better rip off the band-aid. "What do you guys want me to tell you? You know his name, where he works, what he's like."

"And that he's deaf." Josh comments.

Tracy nods. "Yeah, that surprised me. And you're still going for it? Kudos, man!"

"Yeah, well," Theo scratches his neck, "I like him."

Both Tracy and Josh have big grins over their faces and start making squealing noises.

"Oh no, please don't start."

"You're so adorable, Theodore!" Tracy coos, trying to reach out to pinch one of Theo's cheeks.

Theo swats her hand away, "Shut up!"

"Hey, hey! I'm trying to drive here!" Josh complains.

 

_Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring_

_I don't mean on the phone_

_Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight_

_Hurry down the chimney tonight_

 

* * *

 

The first week of break is right over Christmas, so Theo doesn't really have a chance to hang out with friends, spending time with family and all that. He does get a number of texts, though, both from Tracy and Josh, and from Brett and Liam.

On the 28th, Theo receives a text from Liam.

**Liam: are u bussy today?**

Theo glances at his best friend over the bed. She's lying on her back shirtless, her black lace bra full on display and one leg crossed on top of the other as she watches a cop drama on TV.

"Is that Liam?" Tracy asks. "I know it is, I can see your gross smile in the reflection on the screen."

Theo rolls his eyes and looks back at his phone.

**Uh, not much.**

**Liam: want to hang out today maybe? if you don't mind the drive. i'm bored .**

**yeah, absolutely. when, where?**

**Liam: do you bowl? because if so, i don't want to play against you.**

**no, i'm a terrible bowler.**

**Liam: excellent ;)**

Theo gets up from the desk chair, "I'm going bowling."

Tracy glances at him while arching her back, "Have fun on your date."

"It's not a date."

"It's a date."

"It's not a date!"

As Theo is making his way out of his apartment, he receives a text from Josh:

**_'It's a date, you asshat. Have fun ;)'_ **

The bowling alley isn't particularly full on a Monday afternoon. Since Liam came earlier, he already had his shoes on his hand and pointed at them, indicating him that he was going to put them on while Theo paid.

Nodding, Theo walks up to the counter, paying for his shoe rental and everything. The girl behind the counter smiles at him and says,

"Your friend is kinda cute. He's very self-sufficient too. I have a little cousin that's deaf," the girl tells him. "I've never learned any sign language, though."

"I'm just learning now."

"You two can still communicate alright, though?"

Theo drums nervous fingers on the countertop. "We usually have a mutual, hearing and signing friend with us." he admits. "We don't usually hang out, just us two. So... we'll see how it goes."

The girl smiles and crosses her fingers for Theo to see. "Good luck!"

"Thanks, I hope—"

"Theo!"

Theo almost has a heart attack at the sound of his name. It's not that he's not used to his name being yelled; it's the fact that it's a little distorted, but it's definitely recognizable, and Theo wheels around to see Liam looking at him, waving him over impatiently.

"You just said my name."

Liam smiles slightly. _"You weren't looking at me."_ he mouths, singing the words.

Oh, maybe I should not look at him more often, then.

Theo loves how vocal Liam gets sometimes. He's usually so silent, apart from soft laughs and occasional hums, but when he's frustrated or startled, he makes all sorts of complementary sounds, and apparently, this is true when he gets excited, too.

_"WOO!"_ he says loudly when he gets a spare. He turns to Theo and gesticulates wildly, grinning from ear to ear. Gosh, his smile is beautiful. He does a little victory dance, and it's probably the cutest damn thing Theo has ever seen.

Theo just laughs and claps. He gives Liam a high five, then goes to take his turn. He's losing, but thankfully not by that much. Neither of their scores are crazy high. This is just for fun; they're not planning going pro.

_"I like playing with you,"_ Liam mouths and signs. _"Brett is too good at bowling."_

Theo watches Liam's hands carefully. "Brett?" he repeats. "How did you sign his name?"

Liam grins, then makes a sign for an _B_ and raises his hand up above his head to sign _tall_.

"That's how you sign his name?"

_"That's my name sign for him. Since long time ago."_

Theo grins, "That's cute. And what about your best friend Mason?"

Liam signs a _M_ and taps his head lightly with his index finger, right over his temple.

Theo taps his temple just like Liam did. "What's this mean?"

_"'Cus he's real smart."_

That's cute, Theo thinks.

"And what about Corey?"

Liam makes a sign for an _C_ and then places a hand over his chest, right over his heart and Theo understands it perfectly.

"Good hearted?"

Liam nods.

"So what about me? Do you and Brett have a name sign for me?”

Liam nods, but he suddenly looks embarrassed.

Now Theo is curious. "What is it?"

Liam signs a _T_ and circles it around his face. Theo copies it, and Liam nods in approval.

"What's it mean?" Theo asks.

Liam shrugs, fidgeting a little. _"Your name."_ he mouths.

Theo knows that right now it's not the time to push the beautiful guy, so he lets it go. He doesn't worry; he'll find out, that's for sure.

 

* * *

 

Another day, Theo is so busy helping his parents with something that he almost looses time. It's just when Malia grabs his phone and places it front of his face that he can see his screen lighting up with a reminder:

**'The bakery & coffee shop is about to close.'**

"Oh, shit!"

He practically drops everything, grabs his phone, thanks Malia and runs out of his house. He must look like a total nub running over the streets with his face red and hair all over the place.

Brett, Mason, Corey, Liam and him were going to watch a movie at the cinema Liam had been nagging them about a certain movie that he watch the trailer of and now he wants to watch it, so they all are going. They were going to meet at Liam's work place and what for the blue eyed guy to finish his turn so they could go.

As soon as Theo crosses through that door, almost immediately Mason spots him and waves at him to have his attention.

"Hey!"

"Hey. Sorry I'm late."

Mason shakes his head, "No, no, you're not. Actually, Liam still has to finish his turn and Brett hasn't arrived yet. Corey is over the bathroom."

Theo nods. At least he's not late.

A moment later he feels a tug over his arm and turns to Mason, who points at the counter where Liam was standing behind. The blue eyed guy was smiling and waving at him. Theo feels like a dork but he waves back. Liam smiles even brighter that even the girl he was taking her other blushes. And who can blame her?

The girl leaves and a middle-aged man steps forward and Liam puts his professional face as he takes the man's order. The man doesn't even looks up from his phone as he tells Liam his order. The man doesn't even say 'thank you' before turning around and checking his phone, not even sparing a look back at Liam. But Liam doesn't seem to mind as he quickly starts to prepare the man's coffee.

Corey comes out of the bathroom and sits beside his boyfriend, smiling at him before kissing his cheek.

Theo watches as Liam gives the coffee to the man. The other doesn't even thanks him since he's still on his phone looking at god-knows-what.

Liam keeps smiling until the man turns his back at him, so he decides taking a step around the counter to be able to join his friends but first he notices a spot on one of the tables, so he decides to clean it with the rag on his hand.

Just as he's doing that, the middle-aged man from before takes a sip from his coffee and puts on a sour face.

"Hey, kid!" he turns to the counter but doesn't find Liam. He looks around until he finds him, with his back at him. "Hey, kid! Hey, I'm talking to you!" he grabs Liam by the shoulder and forces him around so they're facing each other.

Liam's eyes widen at seeing the anger over the man's face. The man's eyes followed from those blue eyes and moved at his nametag.

"Oh, you're deaf? You're actually fucking deaf?" he snorts in an ugly way that attracts everyone's attention, "Just what I needed! First, my secretary forgets to change my appointment because she had a sugar low and needed some rest and now my freaking barista is _fucking_ deaf?! Are you serious?!" he sighs as if he's just came from a non-stop three-year shift trying to find a cure for cancer. I mean, he may as well have been trying but that's no reason to treat people like that.

"Fucking useless people, I swear..." he turns to face the table as he pours sugar in his coffee, "As if I needed to deal with this today."

Theo really wants to just punch the man in the face but that would probably bring Liam troubles and he doesn't want that.

He looks over at Liam and expects to see him angry or at least uncomfortable or even sad but instead, Liam is looking right at the man with decision in his eyes, as if telling the man that he's not going to endure that kind of treatment from anyone and then starts moving his right hand, making the man stop pouring sugar into his coffee as he looks at the blue eyed boy.

"What'd you say to me?"

Liam takes some air before holding his hand up and without taking his eyes off the man, effectively signs:

 

**F - U - C - K**

 

The man frowns as Liam continues moving his hand.

"What is he saying?"

 

**Y - O - U**

 

The man kicks the nearest table, making Mason pull Liam towards him a little as the man approaches them while pointing at Liam, _"WHAT IS HE SAYING?!"_

"He's saying _'Thank you'_. For your purchase." Mason says.

The man doesn't seem too convince with the answer but since he can't sign, he doesn't know what Liam said.  Furrowing his brows, he stamps to the table and grabs his coffee as if it offended it somehow and stalks towards the door, harshly pulling open the door before leaving.

As soon as the man is gone, the atmosphere changes. The few customers are able to continue with their chit-chats. Theo kept his eyes on the door, just in case the man wants to come back because 'the client is alright right' bullshit. He better not try anything.

Meanwhile, Mason is pulling Liam away from the confrontation place. Corey was looking at Liam with a wide grin but Mason was trying to make his boyfriend take it down a notch.

Once Theo was sure the man wouldn't put a foot in this establishment as long as he's still here, he turned to see Mason nagging Liam about what just happened.

"You could've signed it with two sets of fingers but _nooo_ , you had to dramatically spell it to emphasize your attitude towards the customer jerk."

Liam keeps his arms over his chest and looking at the side like a grounded kid, ignoring his friends' words by not watching his mouth or hands.

As he's having his head turned to the other side, he realizes he's facing Theo. The brunet's gaze on him makes Liam a little nervous, so he pulls his arms to his sides.

_"What?"_ he mouths.

"I'm impressed." Theo answers with a grin. To be totally honest, he wasn't only impressed. He was turned on. But he couldn't tell Liam that.

Liam bites his lips as he smiles, a soft blush appearing over his cheeks.

The two of them don't notice Mason looking between them, a smile appearing over his face because of these two dorks.

 

* * *

 

"So, Theo," Mason says a couple days later. It's New Year's Eve and Theo is at Brett and Liam's apartment to help him set up some party decorations, although Liam himself is currently at a family thing. "How did your date go?"

Heat rises to Theo's cheeks, and he keeps his eyes on the streamers he's taping to the ceiling. "What date?"

"Oh please," Mason laughs across the room. "Liam told me all about it."

"That wasn't a date. We just went bowling and stuff."

Mason snorts loudly. "Yeah, okay. So?"

"So, what?" Theo steps back to survey his work.

"So, do I have to teach you the signs you need to ask a guy out, or what?"

Theo glares at Mason over his shoulder. "What makes you think he even wants to go out with me?"

Mason grins and walks over to lay a firm hand on his shoulder. "Theo, please. His name sign for you is _T_ combined with _Attractive_."

Theo's stomach does a little flip thing. A little flip thing? It's doing freaking somersaults.

"It is?"

"Also, he asked you to hang out with him one-on-one. Without me. Liam never asks non-signing people to hang out without me around, because he gets embarrassed about struggling to communicate with them." he squeezes his shoulder, "He obviously really, really likes you." Mason gives him a reassuring smile.

Theo's chest aches with the effort of trying not to get too hopeful.

"Dude. He's super into you. Trust me." Mason gives him a look. "So do I have to teach you the signs for safe sex or not?"

Theo chokes, waving his hands. "Whoa, okay, no need to get ahead of ourselves here."

Mason laughs, finally leaving him alone to check the fridge. "Better safe than sorry, Theo. Wild things can happen on New Year's."

"Talking about your and Corey's experiences?" Theo teases but Mason gives him a look and he groans, "Oh my god."

Mason laughs so hard that he almost drops his coke.

After that, Mason refuses to leave it alone. Everything other sentence out of his mouth is "So when are you going to ask him out?" and "I can teach you the sign for date" and "Are you going to ask him out tonight?" The more he mentions it, the more nervous Theo gets, wondering if Mason's over-exaggerating to get a rise out of him, or if he's misreading Liam. And then he starts worrying about Liam turning him down, and then about Liam saying yes, because that presents a whole new array of scary possibilities.

As the afternoon drags on and the time of Liam's return draws nearer, Theo gets increasingly panicked about the entire situation, mostly for no reason but it starts to sound pretty logical to him.

"So," Mason says again after they're done, bumping his hip as he passes by. "What's the plan, Theo?"

Theo lets out a long, distressed breath. "I don't know!" he says. "I don't have a plan! I haven't even thought this through yet. I don't even know if, like, I'm ready for...this..." he trails off lamely, cringing.

Mason turns to look at him. "Ready for what?"

"I don't know." Theo runs an agitated hand through his hair. "Just... dating _him_ and... dating a deaf person..."

All of a sudden, Mason is very serious. He steps right in front of Theo to look at him head-on, and Theo almost takes an alarmed step back. He looks almost as scary as Malia when someone eats her food. "Theo. Dude. I am not kidding. If you are not going to be serious about this, just say it and I will let Liam down gently. But do not ever, _ever_ tell me and especially not him that he is not worth dating because he is deaf."

"I'm not—! Listen—" Theo starts to protest.

"No, _you_ listen. You don't know how hard it's been for him, losing his hearing. He has lost so many friends and faced so much difficulty making new friends, and struggled so much. And if you are going to ditch him because he's hard to communicate with, then you honestly might as well just leave right now, and I will tell Liam you died, because that would probably be easier on him than the truth." Mason's eyes are dark with fiery intensity.

"Mason, wait, that's not— I mean, I'll admit, it's kind of daunting, but I wouldn't do that." Theo says, throat closing up a little with how desperate he is to get his message across.

"That's what I'd like to believe, Theo, but this is important to me. I like you, and Liam likes you, so I think this is great. And I'm not saying you have to commit to marrying the guy or anything. But I do want you to give him a fair chance. Because he is wonderful. And the fact that he can't hear should not change that for you."

Theo swallows, "It doesn't." he says.

Mason huffs out a breath. "Then what are you scared of?" he asks, backing down slightly.

Theo gives a half laugh. "Okay, well, dating a deaf person is a little bit intimidating. I mean, you can't argue with me there."

"Alright, fine. If you're not used to it... sure." Mason relents.

"So that's giving me pause." Theo admits. "And you're right. I should be serious about it. So I'm just... gathering my strength to make sure I'm ready. Okay?"

Mason stares at him for a few long seconds, his eyes searching Theo's face, like he's looking for any sign of insincerity there. But apparently he's satisfied, because he sighs and says, "Okay. I just... I'm a little protective of him."

Theo grins. "You're a good friend, Mason," he says, clapping him on the shoulder.

Mason snorts. "Thanks. I try."

 

* * *

 

It's kind of a relief when school starts again and everyone goes back to their old routine. The beginning of the semester is slow, and Theo is glad, because that means he gets to spend more time at Brett and Liam's apartment. He and Brett don't have anymore classes together —human kinetics and biochemistry really don't intersect that often— but he sees more of his friend than ever, and increasingly, he spends time alone with Liam.

Theo is learning more ASL on a daily basis, expanding his vocabulary both with help from the guys and from YouTube videos he looks up in his boring classes, but even without that, he's becoming more comfortable with the way he communicates with Liam. Aside from frequent texts and snapchats, they speak via a combination of lip-reading, writing things down, finger-spelling, simple signs, and other gestures and facial expressions.

"Oh my god, Theo." Josh says when they're hanging out and Theo inevitably lights up when he gets a text from Liam. "Just date him already!"

"Don't pressure me." he snipes, and goes back to replying.

"He's just waiting for the perfect timing." Tracy tells him, and Theo makes a vague sound of agreement.

Except that it's less that, and more than Theo is more nervous about asking Liam out than he's ever been about another date in his life. This seems... much more weighty, somehow. More important. He can't screw this up.

 

* * *

 

One day, at the end of January, Theo discovers his class got cancelled when he's already on campus, and he sighs in annoyance until he realizes this is the perfect opportunity to guiltlessly hang out with Liam. Shooting off a quick text asking if the blue eyed guy is free, Theo makes his way to their apartment.

As he's waiting for Liam's response, he's walking down the street where the bakery Liam works is and spots his friend inside, so he gets inside without thinking.

_"Hi."_ Liam signs with a smile as soon as he spots him. _"How can I help you?"_

"I'm escaping the cold."

_"That's the only reason you're here?"_ Liam asks, one eyebrow raised cheekily.

Theo grins, "Of course. Why else?"

Liam chuckles and Theo asks again "Hey, when does your shift end?"

_"Half an hour. Why?"_ Liam signs.

"I was just thinking that we could hang out." Theo says smoothly for once. Yes.

_"If you want to stick around until I'm off, then sure."_ Liam signs.

Eventually, Liam's shift ends, and he puts away his apron and nametag and says goodbye to the owner. They leave, bundled up in warm coats and hats. Thankfully its actually pretty nice out there today: sunny and not that windy.

_"So where are we going?"_ Liam asks, only pulling his hands out of his pockets long enough to form the question.

"The park. It's covered in ice from where everything melted and refroze."

_"The park it is."_

They walk the short distance down the block, past Theo's apartment to the park. It's small and not that exciting, but it really is covered in a small lake of slightly lumpy ice. The moment Theo puts a foot on the slippery ground, he ends up sliding across five feet of mildly-slick glass -without falling on his ass, thank god. He turns back to Liam, who looks like he's gonna laugh but he's trying to conceal it.

Theo raises an eyebrow at him, "Okay, pretty boy. You try it."

Making a face, Liam runs and slides, and although he goes slightly farther than Theo, he wobbles precariously at the end, nearly losing his footing.

Liam turns around to look at Theo, who laughs.

_"Whatever,"_ Liam mouths, and he starts moving again.

They find some spots that are better than others on the little ice lake, slipping and sliding over some patches and tumbling when their feet catch on rough ones. It's stupid, and they probably look like idiots, but it's weirdly fun, acting like kids at this tiny, frozen park.

Determined to get one good slide in, Theo back up and gets a good running start, landing smoothly on the ice and flying across it. He only realizes Liam standing directly in his path, facing away from him, when he's moving too fast to stop. "Watch it!" he says uselessly, before colliding with him dramatically in a tangle of flailing limbs.

The two of them are laughing. Theo holds onto the other boy tightly, keeping him from tipping onto the ice.

Liam makes no move to right himself, balancing and holding onto Theo, smiling as he mouths _"We have to stop meeting like this."_

Theo chuckles, shaking his head in apology. When he looks at Liam, the other boy has a fond look in his eyes, and his nose is red and his cheeks are rosy from the cold, and he's smiling away, and god, Theo wants to kiss him.

But the moment the thought crosses his mind, Theo's entire being seizes up in panic, and he laughs awkwardly and pulls Liam back to his feet so he can step away.

"Sorry," he says again, dusting off Liam's shoulders.

Liam blinks at him, mouth twisted slightly, brow furrowed. He looks annoyed, and Theo's heart pounds in his throat. They stare at each other for a moment, and Theo has to tamp down the urge to run.

_"If you don't like me,"_ Liam signs suddenly, mouthing the words almost too quickly to catch, _"just say it. This back and forth is really tiring."_

It feels like a slap across the face. Theo stares, open-mouthed in shock. The words register, but he can't seem to respond. How is he supposed to properly communicate that that is not at all what is going through his mind right now? How is he supposed to find the words to tell Liam that he has literally had a crush on him since they first met? That he loves everything about him, from his beautiful blue eyes to the way he scrunches up his nose when he's confused or doesn't understand something. How his lips move as he mouths the words he wants Theo to understand.

But then again, if spending time with Liam has taught Theo one thing, it's that actions are, indeed, in some cases much louder than words.

So he says nothing, and instead drags the blue eyed guy forwards right there in the middle of the icy park to kiss him. He kisses him hard, one hand curled in the collar of Liam's coat and the other at the back of his neck, lips sealed together, and he sighs in relief and pleasure when, rather than pulling away as he thought it would happen, Liam kisses him back.

And so they just stand there on the ice, lips moving against each other and breaths mingling, hands pulling closer and fingers sliding into thick hair. Kissing Liam is like finally doing something right in his whole life and he doesn't want to stop, but unfortunately he has to. They need to breathe at some point, right?

Finally, Liam is the one to pull back, laughing. His eyes closed and his whole face red and lips red, his mouth turned into a big and honest happy smile.

_"Took you long enough."_ Liam mouths.

Good thing that Theo had his eyes open and was watching everything about Liam, or else he would've missed that. He can feel the cold air hitting his face and his cheeks were probably as red as Liam's but he didn't care. Theo couldn't look away from him.

Liam's fingers are still over his hair, slowly sliding down through his face until they are cupping his face. Theo's hands moved lower until they were resting over his waist, wishing he could slip his hand underneath the shirt to be able to feel Liam's skin.

_"Mason and Brett kept telling me you liked me."_ Liam signs lazily. _"But sometimes I didn't believe them."_

"Why?" Theo signs back.

Liam snorts, _"Look at me."_

"I am looking at you."

Liam looks from his hands to Theo's eyes and they stay there. Almost searching for any trace of lie or malice, but he can't find any. He won't find any because Theo's words are sincere.

Theo feels a little stupid and awkward but he decides to push those feelings away and raises both hands to sign. "You're beautiful. Can you believe that?"

The smile that appears over Liam's face is so bright and warm that Theo doesn't feel anymore cold on his bones. It was totally worth it.

The beautiful blue eyed guy takes Theo's face in his hands again and brings their lips together once more. After a couple of seconds Liam separates their lips but not too much, just barely pressing. Theo can feel his hot breath against his lips.

"T-thank you, Theo."

Theo's eyes open quickly at the sound of that voice and he has to take a step back to be able to look at Liam.

Liam bites his lip, appearing self-conscious of his actions, but Theo smiles just as big as he did moments ago and takes a step forward.

"Say it again."

Liam reads his mouth and somehow seems to know what Theo means because he smiles too. "Theo."

Theo closes his eyes, pressing his forehead against Liam's, "Again."

"Theo."

"Again."

"Theo, Theo, Theo." Liam mutters, closing his eyes as he shares eskimo-kisses with the other.

Theo bathes in Liam's voice, knowing perfectly how much effort it must be taking for Liam to be doing this. To be this open with someone and trusting them. Theo would never laugh or mock him because of his voice. He would rather take a swim in the icy lake.

Liam steals another kiss before saying "Theo." and stealing another kiss, followed again by his name, and he goes on.

They stand there in the icy park, holding onto each other as the blue eyed guy keeps saying Theo's name after stealing kisses and Theo keeps enjoying the feeling of those lips against his and that sweet voice over his ears, repeating his name like a prayer.

 

**Author's Note:**

> *That scene where Liam signs "FUCK YOU" at the rude costumer was inspired by a similar scene on The Shape of Water (loved that movie).


End file.
